Anchor Pub & Grille Beverly

If yesterday was gloom and doom, today was sunny, bright and warm and a perfect day for a short road trip to Anchor Pub & Grille in Beverly.

I'm still trying to figure out the story about the pandas. My waiter had no clue.

This is the calm before the storm. End of breakfast and before lunch started. It got jam-packed later on. It took a while to get food, but they are upfront about the small kitchen, so this is expected. No big deal.

I started with two stuffed clams (stuffies $2.50 each). They were big! They were also light with a really tasty stuffing. The two of them could have been a light lunch, that's how big they were.

This is not a Fried Clams Platter, but their Fried Clams Roll with FF ($15.95). I have seen clams plates that had fewer clams than this roll. The clams were lightly battered and expertly fried. I must say that they were really excellent. Their tartar sauce is also very good. The FF was OK, crispy on the outside and soft and potatoey on the inside. Of course they were unsalted, and that posed a small problem since they were covered by the clams.

What size are these clams? Medium? I wouldn't call them small, but they could be big?

MuLan Waltham

It was a dark and stormy day when I headed down to MuLan in Waltham to satisfy my craving for some real Chinese food.

They have an extensive lunch menu, 39 dishes, all of them good. I have a number of favorites, including the Chicken in Chili Sauce (9.95). See any chili sauce? Me neither, but I see plenty of crispy and juicy dark meat chicken. I also see dry chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns and something I thought was Jalapenos, but they are not, nor are they the long green peppers. They mystery pepper is slightly hot and have a very nice fruity flavor. This is a very tasty dish that also packs a fair amount of heat. Another attraction about having lunch in Waltham is that they removed ALL their parking meters.

Cafe Escadrille Burlington

I had a really pleasant Boston Dine Out lunch at Cafe Escadrille in Burlington last week, so I decided to go back today.

It's a really nice building with plenty of parking. There is also a lot of old farts like me driving around there.

This week I went with the New England Clam Chowder. It was a big cup filled with a creamy and thick chowder with plenty of tender clams and potatoes. It was very good but didn't need any more salt.

The second course was the Baked Stuffed Haddock with Lobster Newburg Sauce, Choice of Side. I picked a baked potato as my side. With enough butter and salt, it makes for a nice fluffy mash. I had a long diatribe ready to be written down on how when you order anything stuffed in NE, you get something with the stuffing on top, but what did I get? A proper stuffed fish. This was a seriously big piece of fish, stuffed with crackers and crab. The sauce was very good, the stuffing was OK, but the fish was on the drier side, apart from the thick bottom end.

For my MINI DECADENT DESSERT, I picked the Blueberry Pie that was really good. I had an excellent waitress last week, and wish I could have her again. My waitress had no interest in me at all, never once asked how the food was, I had to flag her down to get my waiter refilled, and another waitress brought me the check. Should be interesting to see if they change the menu for the next iteration of Boston Dine Out.

Brothers Kouzina Peabody

On a previous visit to Brothers Kouzina in Peabody, I saw a neighboring table order something that looked really good and it was finally time to try it.

The dish was the Lamb Kokinisto (13.99). "Lamb baked on the bone in a traditional red sauce with Greek seasoning". The green beans were overcooked, but that was expected. However, they were really tasty, and there was also some zucchini in there. Roasted potatoes are always good in a Greek restaurant. The lamb was fantastic, falling off the bone tender and it had a really excellent sauce. There was a hint of cinnamon and maybe clove as well. This is only half of what was on the serving plate. I don't like overcooked beans but kept on eating these.

This is the Brothers Kouzina Deluxe (14.99). "A mouth-watering combination of gyro and pork souvlaki". More roasted potatoes and a big Greek salad are hiding on the side. The gyro meat was very good with some crisp bits in there. The Pork Souvlaki was fantastic with a nice char and cooked really well, with the meat still being pinkish. This was also very juicy and tasty. This is easily two meals. The service was good and the waitress was very knowledgeable about the food.

Address 25 Newbury St, Peabody, MA 01960
Phone number (978) 535-9297

Jami's Kitchen Salem

I have heard pleasant things about Jami's Kitchen in Salem, so when I saw that they are participating in Salem Restaurant week with a two-course meal for $20, off I went.

If you go any further north you are in Beverly. Private parking lot, and also street parking is available.
 

The inside was nice and bright and absolutely spotless.

The dining room. I took one of the hightops with a water view. I could see The Anchor in Beverly from here.

I started with the Sauteed Mussels that come with garlic bread. The mussels were cooked well, but they were on the smaller side.

I then picked the BBQ Ribs that come with Fries and Coleslaw. The fries were excellent, light and fluffy with some seasoning. The coleslaw was on the wetter side but was really tasty. I think there was some finely chopped dill in there. I got two thinner ribs (actually four) and two humongous ribs. The ribs were really good with just a coating of BBQ sauce. As with properly BBQed ribs, they were not falling off the bone but had a nice bite. Did I mention that the fries were excellent?

They have some daily specials.

Tuesday special "The Lady luck Wheel". The service was friendly, and the owner helped bring out the food and checked on the customers. I like that.

Address 2 Bridge Street, Salem, MA
Phone number (978) 740-4619

Maza Nashua NH

I have heard good things about Maza Mediterranean Grill in Nashua and since I had to go to Nashua anyway, it was time to stop by for some lunch.

They are located in a small strip mall with a good amount of parking. It's a bit tricky to get here if you come from the south, the first entrance doesn't really work.

It's a cafeteria-style setup. You order up front, pay and pick a table. The booths were on the smaller side, and the two tops also looked cramped. The inside was nice and bright and impeccably clean.

The menu is quite big, but I settled on the Lamb Kofta Kabob (Halal) ($9.99). "Ground lamb, mixed with spices, garlic, onions and fresh herbs". "All plates are served with freshly baked pita bread and your choice of three side". That is a cut and paste from their website. They have about 16 sides to choose from, and I settled on Grape leaves, Baba Ganoush and Chickpea salad. The kabob was cooked to order and was well seasoned and still moist. The chickpea salad was excellent, tasty with a hint of heat. The baba ganoush was also very good with a sprinkling of a good olive oil on top. The grape leaves were good and the rice filling still had some texture. The freshly baked pita was really good but seemed to go stale pretty quickly. This was a good amount of food that was very reasonably priced. My buddy had the Chicken Kabob, and he was very happy with the chicken, and it was a lot of chicken. The sides are not labeled, but they are working on that. The owner nicely explained what was available.

Address 274 Daniel Webster Highway, Nashua, NH 03060
Phone number (603) 888-7500 

Fusilli's Cucina Reading

I had a pretty terrible meal at my visit to Fusilli's Cucina in Reading back in September. Armed with a Groupon+ for 20% off, I decided to give them another chance.

The ITALIAN WEDDING soup (4.99). "House specialty, mini meatballs, escarole & chicken broth". This was not bad at all, and the meatballs were good, all four of them.

I then ordered the FRIED CALAMARI (10.99). "Hot pepper rings, marinara & tartar sauce served with fries and coleslaw". What's missing? She brought out the appetizer version for some reason. The sauces were fine, but the calamari was severely overcooked. My waitress took it back and brought out another plate. Guess what? Also overcooked. So my lunch today was a pretty good soup, and a number of overcooked calamari pieces. Not that it helped, but you get both rings and tenticles (their spelling).

The Capital Grille Burlington

The Capital Grille in Burlington has been in on the Boston Dine Out since it was Restaurant Week. I tend to go at least once, since it's only $20 for three courses, and it's good value for the money.

Private parking of course. I'm really miffed that the best parking spots are reserved for valet parking. Who's the customer here?

I always sit at the bar and figured I should shake things up a bit and sit in the dining room. They were so busy today, that my only choice was in the bar. Well, in the bar I get the nice house-made potato chips.

There is a number of reasons that the Wedge with Bleu Cheese and Smoked Bacon has been on the steakhouse's menus for forever. First, it's delicious and secondly, it makes them an enormous amount of money.

The menu stays the same from year to year, so there are no surprises here. Dry Aged Sirloin with Roasted Peppers, Fresh Mozzarella and Arugula Salad. It comes out rare as ordered with a nice crust. The salad was tasty and it had some balsamic vinegar added. Not sure what the breadstick are doing on the plate. This is not Kitty's sirloin, for sure. Tender and really beefy.

A Classic Crème Brûlée finished off the meal. It had a real crispy sugar crust with a velvety Crème underneath. A very professional bartender handled the whole bar really well.

Address 10 Wayside Rd, Burlington, MA 01803

Phone number (781) 505-4130

Cafe Escadrille Burlington

This is the first year Cafe Escadrille in Burlington are participating in Boston Dine Out week(s) and the lunch menu looked really good. Three courses for $20. Since the much dreaded Nor'easter never showed up, I headed out to Burlington.

They have plenty of parking but be aware of all the old farts like me driving here.

The inside is not as dated as you would expect, and it's also nice and bright. They also have a really big bar if you don't feel like a table.

I like how the lemon was presented. You get a warm roll with butter that wasn't frozen.

Five choices for first course and I picked the Onion soup. It was OK, could have done with some more time under the salamander, and the onions could have been caramelized longer. It lacked the deep flavor of a really good onions soup. It also lacked the traditional gruyere.

Then I picked the "Tournedos Ala Bordelaise Spinach and Mashed Potato" out of the five choices. I asked for it rare and that worked. The real mashed potatoes could have done with more seasoning and butter. My butter helped, as did salt and pepper. The spinach was really tasty, and it also had some texture left. Crispy onions and artichokes completed the dish. This was really tasty and I was very happy with this. In fact, I'm contemplating going back next week.

The menu said: MINI DECADENT DESSERTS, and it was mini alright. "Chocolate Profiterole Mini chocolate puff with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge". Nothing to complain about here. The service was pleasant, and it was service with a smile.

Address 26 Cambridge St, Burlington, MA 01803
Phone number (781) 273-1916

Davio'S Lynnfield

One of the highlights of the Boston Dine Out week is my lunch at Davio'S in Lynnfield. They do it right with a different menu for each week and different menus for each occasion. So many restaurants have the same things, year after year.

Plenty of parking in the Market Street complex.

Bright and very pleasant dining room with the open kitchen in the back.

A nice breadbasket with some freshly made Foccacia and the house-made potato chips.

I started with "Crispy Oysters, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Bacon, Tartar". How can you go wrong with oyster and bacon? Excellent crispy oysters with a very nice tartar sauce.

This was followed by "Seared Sea Scallops, Green Pea Risotto, Parmigiano". The risotto was cooked well and was creamy as it should be. Scallops were excellent. A very good dish.

I finished with the "Vanilla Pistachio Parfait, Vanilla Cake Crumbs, Toasted Pistachios, Whipped Cream, White Chocolate". The cream was a tad overwhipped, apart from that it was very nice.

The bar got really busy.

Address 1250 Market Street, Lynnfield, MA 01940
Phone number (781) 944-4810

Summer Shack Cambridge

I went to the Summer Shack in Cambridge shortly after they opened and didn't like the wooden tables and communal seating, and I thought the menu was too expensive. This year they are participating in Boston Dine Out so it was a chance to check them out again.

They are next to the Alewife T-station, so they are not hard to find. Private parking lot.

I was happy to see the wooden tables and benches gone, replaced with proper seating.

lobster tank with the steamers and the open kitchen in the back.

Some warm cornbread with whipped butter arrives quickly. The cornbread was pleasant and not too sweet.

What was advertised as a $20 lunch on Boston Restaurant Weeks Website, turned out to be $25. I started with the "Summer Shack" Raw Bar Sampler. "Oyster on half shell, cocktail shrimp & cherrystone ceviche". The oyster was fine, aren't they always? The good-sized shrimp was very cold and overcooked. The ceviche was OK, would have been better if there was cherrystone in there. The white slivers in the picture were just all the fish I got.

Next was the Blackened Gulf Shrimp Tacos. "Salsa fresca, avocado, chipotle crème & sweet potato fries". The tortillas were old and hard. The rest of the taco was very good and tasty. The chipotle crème was actually spicy. I subbed the sweet potato fries for FF and they were fabulous. Salted and seasoned when they come out of the fryer. The lime was old and dry. The shrimp was tasty with a bit of heat, and cooked well.

It was a three-course meal and for my dessert, I picked the Brownie Sunday w/ Hot Fudge & Vanilla Ice Cream. Nothing to complain about here.

Address 149 Alewife Brook Pkwy, Cambridge, MA 02140
Phone number (617) 520-9500

The Spot Georgetown

The Spot in Georgetown is part of The Serenitee Group of restaurants. If you sign up for their Reward card, you will get a free Entree and Dessert on your birthday month with no restrictions.

They are located on Main Street in the quaint Georgetown and are very close to Rte 95.

The inside is rustic, big bar with the dining room below.

I started with the House-made Chili (8). "Melted Cheddar-Jack Cheese, Sour Cream, Scallions, Tortilla Chips". Hold the Sour Cream also held the Scallions. The ground beef chili was pleasant and not too spicy.

Haddock Po'boy (16). "Fried Haddock, Lettuce, Tomato, Pickle, Remoulade Sauce". Big chunks of nicely cooked haddock. The remoulade sauce was very tasty. Both the tomato and the pickles were cut very thickly. The hand-cut fries are very good. My leftover was nicely packaged, and I even got the leftover chips.

Address 19 W Main St, Georgetown, MA 01833
Phone number (978) 352-3351

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post, but all opinions are my own.